Military Entrance Processing Station

KANSAS CITY, MO 10316 NW Prairie View Road Kansas City, MO 64153-1350 Phone: (816) 891-9490 Fax: (816) 891-8258

The Kansas City MEPS is one of a network of 65 MEPS located nationwide and in Puerto Rico.

From 1959 until November of 1993, the Kansas City MEPS was located in the downtown area of Kansas City in a building constructed in the early 20th century and operated for many years as the "Foremost Dairy." When the building opened, the draft was still in force and recruits/applicants were billeted on basement level 1. The applicants were fed at the Harvey House in Union Station which was across the street from the MEPS. In the early days, the recruits were marched across the street and sworn in at a small parkway on the grounds of the U.S. Post Office where there was an American flag.

Times have changed. Today, the MEPS is located in a modern facility near the Kansas City International Airport. Applicants are housed at a local hotel; during the processing day, they eat a catered lunch in the MEPS dining room.

There is a distinctive room set aside at the MEPS which is used for that special moment when an applicant enlists. We at the Kansas City MEPS take pride in our professional service. We ensure that the young men and women who may someday give their lives for their country are treated with dignity and respect. We’ve come a long way.

A separate Department of Defense agency, USMEPCOM is comprised of two geographical sectors and staffed with personnel from all military services.

Three primary areas are considered in determining an applicant's qualifications for enlistment:

• aptitude for military service
• physical qualification
  
• background evaluation screening